Comb plate



July 28; 1942. M. e. ANDIS, JR

COMB PLATE Filed May 10, 1941 INVENTOR MHT'THEW G. xvo/ k BY AM,

ATTOKNEY.

Patentecl July 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMB PLATE Matthew G. Andis, Jr., Racine, Wis., assignor to Andis Clipper Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 10, 1941, Serial No. 392,836

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in comb plates or shear blades for hair clippers and shavers.

When an electric clipper or shaver is subject to prolonged use, as in a barber shop, the heat developed not only warms the handle but also warms the blades, and the comb plate or lower shear blade, which operates in contact with the relatively sensitive skin of the customers neck, may become objectionably heated long before the operator holding the handle is conscious of excessive handle heat. Another difficulty encountered in the use of such devices has to do with excessive friction of the comb plate upon the skin of the patient.

It is the primary object of the present invention to reduce the transmission of heat and also to reduce skin friction between the comb plate and the patients skin by the provision of a light Weight shoe which may be mechanically attached or bonded or mounted as a separate attachment upon the comb plate of a clipper or shaver. The shoe is preferably made of non-metallic material of low thermal conductivity and either as an attachment or as a part of the comb plate it provides a new article of manufacture.

In the drawing: 7

Fig. 1 is a detail View in side elevation of the lower end of a hair clipper having a comb plate made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view in plan of the comb plate shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the protective shoe being broken away to expose the underlying metallic surface of the plate.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in section of a modified form of plate.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of a shoe constituting a separable attachment and a shear plate to which it is attached.

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of another form of shoe constituting an attachment, the shoe shown in Fig. 6 being adapted to be received onto a comb plate of the type illustrated in Fig. 1.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In accordance with conventional practice, the handle I likewise comprises a motor case to which is fixed the stationary clipper blade or comb plate 8 with which the movable blade 9 reciprocably coacts. The detailed construction of the metallic comb plate 8 is not here involved. It will be provided with the conventional teeth III as shown in Fig. 2. Its under surface may be conventionally patterned or may be provided with grooves or rills II and I2 as indicated in Fig. 1. For the purposes of the present invention, however, the under surface of the comb plate shown in Fig. 1 is planiform at I5 throughout the major portion of its extent, the planiform area being bounded by an undercut rib I6. The shoe II has a beveled edge received under the undercut rib I6 as shown in Fig. 1. It extends from the rib to the rear margin of the comb plate 8 and is secured to the comb plate, in the device of Fig. l and Fig. 2, by rivets I8. In the device of Fig. 3 the channel I2 is omitted from the metallic comb plate 8 and the undercut rib ISO is provided closer to the teeth II], the structure otherwise being similar to that described.

In either case the shoe designated by reference character I? in Figs. 1 and 2 and by reference character I10 in Fig. 3, is preferably made of some dielectric and relatively thermally nonconductive material such as hard rubber or any of the plastics. If rubber or artificial rubber is used. for the shoe-as indicated at III in Fig. i, the shoe may be co-extensive with the entire lower surface of the comb plate 8|, even covering the under surfaces of the teeth thereof and being held to the comb plate by vulcanization thereto instead of by mechanical connection therewith.

If desired, the thermally nonconductive shoe may be made in the form of an attachment as shownin Figs. 5 and 6. The comb plate 82 shown in Fig. 5 is provided with a series of alternating ribs I9 and grooves 20 extending transversely over its under surface. The shoe I'IZ has a thin portion spanning the ribs I9 and terminating in a bead at 2i receivable into the final groove 20 when the shoe is registered with the rear portion of the comb plate. A pair of fingers 22 extend about the ends of the comb plate rear- Wardly of the point at which the co-operating shear blade 9 slides on the comb plate, such fingers serving to hold the shoe to the comb plate. The shoe is prevented from sliding off the comb plate by resilient engagement of its rib 2| in the front channel 20, the shoe being made of rubber or plastic of sufiicient resilience to permit the shoe to span the intervening ribs I9.

The shoe shown in Fig. 6 at I13 is identical with that illustrated in Fig. 5 except that it does not have its forward portion reduced in thickness to span any ribs and it does have at 23 a beveled margin engageable beneath the undercut rib I5 such as is shown in Fig. 1. The surface of the shoe I13 is planiform, thus being adapted to engage the plainform area of the shoe shown at 8 in Fig. l. The fingers 22 in this case are wholly relied upon to grip the comb plate with sufficient firmness to secure the shoe in place against retrogressive sliding movement respecting the comb plate.

A clipper or shaver equipped with the present invention may be operated over the skin with a minimum of metallic contact with the skin and it will be found that the non-metallic thermally insulating materials used in the shoe will protect the skin of the patient from the heat developed in the device to a very substantial extent.

In any of the laminated constructions here disclosed this protection will be available. Naturally, the greater the surface of the comb plate that is covered by the non-metallic lamination, the greater will be the protection. Not only will the non-metallic lamination protect the patient from much of the heat developed in the clipper but, when the clipper is first used and particularly in cold weather, the non-metallic lamination will, by reason of its low conductivity, protect the patient from the chill commonly experienced in the use of an ordinary clipper or shaver when cold metal is brought into contact with the skin. It will further be found that the non-metallic lamination will move more freely over moist skin than the metal ordinarily used.

Applied as herein disclosed, the shoe does not interfere with the normal strength of the metallic portion of the comb plate and. its teeth.

I claim:

1. The combination with a toothed comb plate for a shearing device, of a. non-metallic shoe exposing the teeth while covering a substantial area of the lower surface of the comb plate and adapted, by reason of its relative thermal nonconductivity, to protect against heat transmission between the comb plate and the skin surface traversed thereby.

2. The combination with a shearing comb plate provided with teeth and having a substantial area of under surface behind said teeth, of a non-metallic and relatively thermally nonconducting shoe covering at least a major part of all such area, and means connecting said shoe to said comb plate for unitary movement therewith.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the connecting means comprises an undercut recess extending transversely of the comb plate behind the teeth, and a beveled margin at the forward portion of the shoe engaged in the undercut recess to be retained on said shoe, together with supplementary connecting means holding the rear of the shoe to the rear of the comb plate.

4. The device of claim 2 in which the connectingmeans comprises fingers connected with the ends of the shoe and slidably engaged over the ends of the comb plate.

5. The device of claim 2 in which the connection between the shoe and the comb plate includes means whereby the shoe is adherent to the comb plate.

6. The combination with a comb plate member of metal, of a non-metallic shoe member fitted to the comb plate member therebenea'th, one of said members presenting to the other an irregular surface having high spots contacted by said other member and low spots providing air spaces between said members whereby to reduce heat transmission between said members.

'7. The device of claim 2 in which the shoe and the comb plate are provided with intermediate portions in mutually spaced relation, whereby to provide an intervening air space for reducing heat transmission between the shoe and comb plate.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a laminated comb plate comprising a metal ply having teeth, and an underlying non-metallic and relatively thermally nonconductive shoe ply for the support of said metallic ply from a skin surface to be traversed by the comb plate.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a lami nated comb plate comprising a metallic ply having teeth and a non-.metallic ply vulcanized to the lower surface of the metallic ply over at least the greater part of the entire area thereof.

10. The device of claim 9 in which the nonmetallic ply vulcanized to the metallic ply is substantially co-extensive with the metallic ply including the teeth.

11. The combination with a metallic comb plate having free ends, of a non-metallic shoe fitted to the lower surface of the comb plate and provided at its ends with fingers slidably engaged over the ends of the comb plate and removable from the comb plate by sliding rearwardly thereon.

12. The device of claim 11 in which the comb plate and shoe have portions yieldably interlocked against relative sliding movement between the shoe and the comb plate, said shoe having sufficient resilience to permit of the release of said interlocked portions.

13. As a new article of manufacture, an attachment for the comb plate of a shearing device, said attachment comprising a non-metallic shoe adapted approximately to cover the lower bearing surface of the comb plate and provided with means for detachably connecting it to the comb plate.

14. The device of claim 13 in which the connecting means comprises fingers at the ends of the shoe to slidably receive projecting end portions of the comb plate to which the shoe is attachable.

MATTHEW G. ANDIS, JR. 

